Page:Prehistoric America Vol 2.djvu/93

4. The habits of the birds, as prairie birds, water birds, and forest birds, are also depicted. This peculiarity is, however, shown by the effigies. It is well known that ducks and wild geese prevail among the lakes of Wisconsin. A group of effigies may be seen near Lake Wingra, overlooking the marsh and lake. There is in the group a wild goose and a duck in close proximity, both flying toward the water, and a long, tapering mound close by which may represent the fish. The habit of these birds is to feed in the marshes. The effigies studied in connection with the locality give this idea. There are several other effigies in the group, such as an eagle and a swallow, and two land animals, all of them arranged on the side hill, parallel with the water, giving the idea that they were placed there as screens for hunters who were watching for geese and ducks which frequented the lake. (See Fig. 12, first paper.)

Fig. 60—Water birds at Lake Wingra.

5. The habits of the birds as conquering and conquered are sometimes depicted by the effigies. In the group at Muscoda, already given, we have the hawk represented as a conqueror over the pigeon. (See Fig. 58.)

In a group at Koshkonong the duck is chasing the swallow, and in other groups hawks and eagles are represented in attitudes as if they were chasing other birds, and still other groups, bitterns and cranes and hawks are in flight, but the habits of the birds may be recognized in nearly all the groups, and the effigies become very interesting on this account. We have already referred to the association of birds with animals having the same character. This is significant, for the habits of the animals seem to correspond, the beasts of prey being associated with birds of prey; the conquering animals, such as the panther, being associated with the conquering birds; the water animals be-